The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer FROM THE PUBLISHER
The Inner Voice traces Renee Fleming's path to maturity and success as an artist, from her youth as the child of two singing teachers through her years at Julliard, from her struggles to establish her career to her international success. Her book is the most revelatory examination yet of a performing life, of the crucial roles played by a solid education and supportive mentors, of the importance of discipline and a well-established technique, of confronting the challenges of stress and self-doubt, of the myriad details that must be mastered in creating a vivid operatic character or interpreting a song, of the practical necessity of having a firm understanding of how business functions, and of learning to balance personal and professional fulfillment.
FROM THE CRITICS
The New Yorker
Classical-music insiders are not the only audience for this book, a kind of professional autobiography that mixes Letters to a Young Singer-style technical advice (“Taking a vague vocal concept from another singer is a little bit like sinking your life’s savings into a stock tip you overhear at a cocktail party”) with day-in-the-life bits that show how difficult it is to attain—and sustain—the life of a superstar. Occasional touches of writerly flair suggest the hand of Fleming’s friend and collaborator Ann Patchett, but some of the best passages (such as a moment-by-moment account of singing the role of Violetta in a performance of Verdi’s “La Traviata” at the Met) have a no-nonsense appeal that fits the image of Fleming as an unpretentious but deeply ambitious artist, driven forward by a sense of inadequacy yet buoyed by a keen awareness of her gifts.
Publishers Weekly
Calling this candid account "the autobiography of my voice," soprano Fleming details the years of study it took to master the art of vocal production and the discipline that brought her international renown. A former manager deemed her "the single most ambitious singer he has ever known," and given the tenacity with which she faced early setbacks-"I have a noble history of being rejected from a lot of places," she writes-his comment is understandable. After her first big break in 1990 (as the Countess in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro with the Houston Grand Opera), Fleming's rise to the top was steady. But she's quick to point out that the life of an opera star is not always glitter and glamour; the business side of singing-scheduling performances, arranging interviews and recordings, choosing a repertoire and marketing herself-is arduous. Although Fleming offers glimpses into her personal life, touching on her failed marriage and her loving relationship with her two daughters and concluding with a chapter describing what she experiences backstage during a Metropolitan Opera production, this is not a deeply intimate autobiography full of childhood vignettes, personal anecdotes and behind-the-curtains gossip. Instead, it's a realistic portrait of what it takes to succeed and a volume intriguing for its advice and honesty. Agent, Lisa Queen and Alec Treuhaft at IMG. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Celebrated American soprano Fleming's book presents a combination autobiography and vocal technique handbook in the tradition of her illustrious operatic predecessors. She begins with her upbringing in upstate New York as the eldest child of two music teachers; education at SUNY at Potsdam, the Eastman School of Music, and Juilliard; experience singing in clubs; and voice study with Patricia Misslin and Beverley Johnson. Revelations of backstage procedure at the Metropolitan Opera are especially delightful, and the author's musings on raising her two daughters as a single mother are both inspiring and affecting. Fleming details her roles and analyzes her performances and perceived shortcomings with skill, while providing insight into the vocal mechanism. She also gives practical suggestions for maintaining vocal health. People seeking gossip should look elsewhere as Fleming steadfastly refuses to engage in negative criticism-apart from a few choice words about divadom wherein she includes herself. Warmly recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/04.]-Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Though the renowned soprano mostly discusses singing here, her perceptive account of what it takes to become and continue to be a great performer will resonate with all those who dream big. First-time author Fleming recalls her experiences with agreeable frankness, but she favors tracing her education as a singer over breathlessly reprising her past. The Inner Voice is primarily about music, though she mentions with appreciation the influence of her musician parents and describes her husband, their painful divorce, and their two daughters. "Not just natural talent and hard work, but tenacity, resilience, and luck" make a singer, Fleming writes, and she had plenty of all five. Tracing her path from high school in Rochester, New York, where she starred in productions of My Fair Lady, to the Metropolitan Opera, she ruefully recalls the nerves and self-consciousness that once led her to fall apart on stage when auditioning for the Met National Council Auditions, which were designed to help promising singers. But she never thought of quitting as she struggled with these fears, and though there were setbacks she was accepted at Juilliard, awarded a Fulbright to study in Germany with the famous Elisabeth Schwartzkopf, and given opportunities to sing at La Scala and the Met. As she notes these achievements, Fleming offers advice on how to treat the voice itself, on choosing the right teacher (you need an unerring intuition about whether the instruction suits your needs), on learning to act; and, given today's realities, on the business side of maintaining a great career. Singers, she notes, need able advisers who will not only secure engagements at the great opera house and major concerts halls,but also recording contracts and TV appearances. Her advice and insights are seasoned with recollections of great singers she has known, from Renata Scotto to Luciano Pavarotti. A beguiling self-portrait of a great artist at work.
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